Video: The Cure’s Robert Smith plays rare solo set at Bilbao BBK Live — plus full webcast

The Cure’s headlining set at Spain’s Bilbao BBK Live festival got off to a rocky start tonight — but was all the more memorable for it. As the band’s crew worked to fix Roger O’Donnell’s keyboards, Robert Smith took the stage by himself and treated the crowd to an exceedingly rare solo-acoustic set (“While they fix it, I’ll sing something to you”), performing “Three Imaginary Boys,” “Fire in Cairo” and “Boys Don’t Cry.”

As you an see from the webcast capture posted above, via YouTube user HaloCure, Smith wraps up the three-song set then goes to fetch his bandmates: “I think I have to get the rest of the group with me. Hang on,” he tells the crowd. “That’s why it’s The Cure and not Robert Smith.” Shortly thereafter, the full band emerges and goes on to play a 35-song set.

In addition to Smith’s solo set posted above, you’ll find, below, the full setlist and the complete 55-minute webcast — split into two halves — which includes the solo set through “From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea,” again courtesy HaloCure.

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One slight correction, the webcast files are not complete. The final portion of my original recording was corrupted and I was unable to post the last 4 songs. Thus, Want, Pictures of You, Lullaby and The Caterpillar were originally included on the webcast but are missing from my video upload.